Olier



Jan. 3. 25- 1,523,2?7

A. OLIER APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING SUGAR FROM RAW MATERIALS Filed April 4, 1922 I Patented Jan. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

ANDRE OLIER, F CLERMONT-FERBAND, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO SOCIETE ANONYME DES ETABLISSEMENTS A. FRANCE.

OLIER, OF CLERMO'NT-FERBAND, PUY-DE-DOME,

APPARATUS FOR ExTB-ACTING SUGAR FROM RAW MATERIALS.

Application filed April 4,

I lie of France, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Extracting Sugar from Raw Materials, of which the following is a specification. 7

Before the invention of the diffusion. process, the sugar was extracted from beets and'sugar cane by mechanical or hydraulic pressure in the form of sugary liquld or uice which after various treatments afforded the crystallized sugar.

This process had the drawback, of leaving a large percentage of sugar in the raw material under treatment, aside from the great expense of the extraction process.

The diffusion method has now almost entirely superseded the pressing process, at least for the treatment of beets, and althou h it. posesses the advantage of enabling t e total exhaustion of the material, is attended on the other hand with numerous drawbacks such as'important and expensive machinery,

a large supply of water, a considerable expense for live steam, skilled labour requlred for the filling and discharge of the juice, circulation and exhaustion of a more or less regular nature, and discontinuous operatlon of the process.

This invention relates to an apparatus providing for the continuous extraction of the sugar juice and the entire elimination of all the foregoing drawbacks. The said apparatus or continuous extractor consists in princi le of an endless conveyor with perforate plates travelling within a conduit or series of conduits of a fluid-tight character wherein it is caused to entrain the material under treatment without interruption from the admission to the discharge of the same, Whilst water which is brought to the roper temperature by means of a suitable uid is circulated in the opposite direction.

In the accompanying drawing which shows by way of example an embodiment of this invention:

. Fig. 1 is an elevational View of the ap-. paratus.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same.

Fig. 3 and 4 are respectively a front and a side view of one of the discs or plates mounted on the entraining cable.

1922. Serial No. 549,653.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of one of the conduits.

Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively a front and a profile view of one of the notched wheels whereupon is disposed the cable. 1 indicates the root-cutter which is used In sugar manufacture for cutting up the raw material; 2 is the hopper for feeding the cut up material on to the discs, and 3 is the con-.

tinuous conveyor. The said discs (Figs. 3'

and 4) are as a rule constructed of perforated sheet metal and in two pieces assembled by a sleeve 5 also in two pieces which serves at the same time to secure the disc upon the endless metal cable 4 constituting the essential drawing element when provided with the balls 6, these being likewise in two pieces 7 and firmly secured to the said cable at suitable distances so as to form a regular pitch spacing corresponding to the pitch of the wheels 7 (Fig. 6) these being of suitable construction to support the cable, to receive the said balls and to allow the said discs to pass.- The wheels are provided for this purpose with a groove 8 for the cable, notches 9 with regular spacing for the said balls, and recesses 10 for the discs 3.

As shown in the broken .lines Fig. 1, the endless cable runs upon the notched wheels, and it is simply necessary to drive one of the said wheels in order to provide for the travel of the cable which will thus draw the disc and the latter will draw along the material, starting from the feeding end at A and passing through the conduits B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, M, N, O, and reaching the discharge end at P.

The conduits B, C, etc., are of tube shape with single or double walls, and are connected together at the top and bottom by semicircular portions or bends also of tube shape and containing the notched wheels and their axles. The conduit 0 is higher than' the others andis connected at the top with a horizontal portion for conveying the material to the outlet P. The endless conveyor is guided back to the feeding end A by means of a pulley and a horizontal return portion followed by an inclined portion R.

In Fig. 2, 11 indicates a speedreduction device driven by a pulley 12 which actuates through the intermediary of bevel gears 13 the central wheel of the apparatus driving the conveyor. The notched wheel 14 is provided with a weighted stretcher 15 for the automatic tension of the cable should 1t become slackened.

The water for the exhaustion of the sugar material is contained in a reservoir 16; it is supplied M17 and will circulate by gravity in the opposite direction to the travel of the material through the said conduits, being discharged through the neck 18. The water may also be delivered at the bottom of the conduit by a pump 19 at a pressure enabling it to overcome the various resistances.

To facilitate the exhaustion of the sugar material, it is necessary to provide for the heating of the two elements in presence. To this end the conduits, except the conduit 0, may have double walls as shown in Fig. 1 in order to make use of exhaust steam or vapors conducted from one of the evaporating apparatus, or even hot water. Fig. shows, on a larger scale the walls 23 and 24 between which the warm fluid is circulated, whilst the sugar material circulates in the conduit 24, impelled by the discs or-pla-tes 3. The admission and discharge of the heating fluid may be efiected for each conduit by the cocks 24 and 26 shown in Fig. 1, at the ends of each conduit or by connecting the chambers together.

The heating may likewise be efiected by means of steam injectors provided at the lower part of the U connecting portions as shown in Fig. 2.

At the top of each conduit, is mounted a temperature indicator 21 and an air cock 22 with discharge tube.

It is obvious that the said apparatus is given solely by way of example, and it is susceptible of all modifications without departing from the principles of the invention.

In particular, the root-cutter which is shown directly above the conveyor may be disposed at any suitable distance from the extractor, and in this event the material is brought to the conveyor by a suitable endless transporting device.

Furthermore, the said apparatus may be applicable not only to the continuous ex traction of the sugar principles contained in beets and sugar cane, but also in sorghum and like sugar-producing substances, and more generally, to the extraction of all desired products by the diffusion process I such as tanning extracts, wine fermented residues, and the like, or by successive washings with a solvent, such as the oil from' of vertical adjacent tubes connected in series by means of bends, a pulley in each of said bends, an endless conveyor adapted to feed the material to be treated through said sinuous conduit and passing over said pulleys and means for imparting a rotary motion to said pulleys.

2. An apparatus for the continuous extraction of sugar from raw materials and for like purposes embodying a sinuous fluid tight conduit comprising a plurality of vertical adjacent tubes connected in series b means of bends, a pulley in each of said ends, a vertical inlet conduit connected to the inlet end of said sinuous conduit, means for supplying the material to be treated at the upper end of said inlet conduit, a vertical outlet conduit connected to the outlet end of said sinuous conduit, a substantially horizontal extension on said outlet conduit, said extension being provided with an outlet opening on a level higher than that on which the material is supplied to the inlet conduit, a return conduit for connecting the upper ends of the inlet and outlet conduits, an endless conveyor adapted to feed the material to be treated through said sinuous conduit and passing over said pulleys and means for impartlng a rotary motion to said pulleys. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ANDRE OLIER. 

